All in でしょう.

今日の漢字: The fault lies not in our stars

星	音読み: セイ, ショウ 訓読み: ほし, -ぼし 名乗り: n/a, for some reason Meanings: star; (as suffix) planet; spot, dot, mark Strokes: 9; Skip # 2-4-5

Deadlines and in-laws: both are, on balance, good for you no matter how much you dread them. More importantly, it's amazing what you can't get done when in their presence. Mosiwake gozaimasen. Welcome back to the experiment. Things are looking up!

Florida, despite its recent population boom and strip-mall sprawl, still has much less light pollution than New York. The night sky is beautiful; I haven't seen so many faint star clusters (星団) with my naked eye in years.

Yesterday, I was able to borrow a bicycle from my in-laws' neighbor and ride around for a while. The sidewalks here are teeming with geckos (守宮) sunning themselves. Only rarely do they have to scramble away from a passing cyclist or jogger; they know how to avoid the car-filled streets pretty well.

I installed a wireless router for my partner's parents a few nights ago, so I could still live the surf/blog/poker lifestyle. My star's been ascendant at Full Tilt this month. I've discovered that the mixed PL Hold'Em/Omaha games are the perfect thing to stave off boredom and keep me from investing too much in horseshoes for donkeys. I've had enough winning sessions and enough variance between the big wins and small losses to work my way back out of the kiddie pool.

The bump up in limits came just in time for me to earn points in FT's 12 Days of Xmas promo, which features cash bonus payouts until New Year's Eve, and could be the quickest way for me to get a bigger plasma TV than I ever expect to need. Much better, I stand a good shot at clearing my deposit bonus before the end of next month.

So, stars. Light of our lives. The character is nice and simple: the top half is the character for sun and the bottom is life (or beer--more in another installment). That bottom character is often pronounced セイ as in sensei, so let that be your handy mnemonic for the day. Tonight, 見上げた夜空の星達の光. Look up and gaze at the light of the stars in the night sky. And while you're still down here, enjoy the video for *Asterisk by Orange Range.

Merry Merry.

Compounds and  Definitions

• 一番星 【いちばんぼし】  (n) the first star to appear in the evening
• 衛星 【えいせい】  (n) satellite
• 明けの明星 【あけのみょうじょう】  (n) Venus in the eastern morning sky
• 勝ち星 【かちぼし】  (n) (mark indicating) a win
• 九星 【きゅうせい】  (n) astrology; horoscope
• 出来星 【できぼし】  (n) upstart; mushroom millionaire
• 相星 【あいぼし】  (n) sumo wrestlers with the same win-loss record at the end of tournament
• 金星 【きんぼし】  (n) (1) dazzling victory; (2) win of rank-and-file sumo wrestler over the grand champion

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: The game's afoot.

追	音読み: ツイ 訓読み: お.う 名乗り: おい Meanings: chase;  drive away;  follow;  pursue;  meanwhile Strokes: 9; Skip # 3-3-6

I've got a review copy of some software that's supposed to help you compose ringtones and also convert videos to mobile phone format. I've spent two fruitless hours scouring my hard drive, Crooks and Liars, the Internet Archive, and a few other places looking for files that are both small enough and in a codec the program is willing to recognize (because the documentation and help files don't say). Mendokusei! What a wild duck chase!

Compounds and  Definitions

• 猛追 【もうつい】  (n,vs) hot chase (pursuit); hectic chase
• 追いつ追われつ 【おいつおわれつ】  (adj-no) cat-and-mouse (race); lead changing hands many times
• 追い追いに; 追い追い 【おいおいに(追い追いに); おいおい(追い追い)】  (adv) gradually; by and by; little by little
• 窮追 【きゅうつい】  (n,vs) cornered; driven to the wall
• 追い遣る; 追いやる 【おいやる】 (v5r,vt) (1) to drive away; to order off; to chase away; (2) to force into an unpleasant situation (bankruptcy, prostitution, suicide, etc.)
• 追い風(P); 追風 【おいかぜ(P); おいて】  (n) tailwind; fair or favorable wind (favourable)

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字：スーパーサイズ

太	音読み: タイ, タ 訓読み: ふと.い, ふと.る 名乗り: おお, たか, ひろ Meanings: plump;  thick;  big around  Strokes: 4 ; Skip # 2-3-1

We've had a Netflix copy of Super Size Me sitting around for almost a week while I watched Samurai Champloo and California Split. We're finally getting to it tonight. As Morgan Spurlock ran down the menu he was eating over the first week, I got onto the Weight Watchers website to see how many points he was eating. Until I get back below 160 pounds、I get 22 points a day; that translates to about 1300 calories. Because WW has a pretty draconian set of lawyers protecting their point system, I probably shouldn't say more than that except that the McDogfood's "Big Breakfast" weighs in at 29 points.

As gawd is my witness, I will never go for the McGriddle again.

Compounds and  Definitions

• 太る(P); 肥る 【ふとる】  (v5r,vi) to grow fat (stout, plump); to become fat
• 骨太 【ほねぶと】  (adj-na,n) big-boned; stout
• 太り肉 【ふとりじし】  (n) corpulent; fat; chubby
• 図太い 【ずぶとい】  (adj) bold; shameless; cheeky
• 肉太 【にくぶと】  (adj-na,n) boldface (type)
• 太もも(P); 太股; 太腿 【ふともも(P); フトモモ】  (n) (1) thigh; (2) (col) buttocks; arse; ass; butt
• 着太り 【きぶとり】  (n,vs) (clothes which) make one look fat
• 太巻 【ふとまき】  (n) {food} large roll sushi

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字：Bbbbrrrrrr!

寒	音読み: カン 訓読み: さむ.い 名乗り: さ、さん Meanings: cold(!) Strokes: 12; Skip # 2-3-9

Our respite from global warming, or the "global struggle against climatalogical extremism," took a hit today with sub-20F temperatures in NYC. The shock should be that it's such a shock, of course, but it's been nice lately having San Francisco winter for the last month.

Compounds and  Definitions

• 寒 【かん】  (n) midwinter; cold season; coldest days of the year
• 寒がり 【さむがり】  (adj-na,n) sensitivity to cold
• 寒さに向かうと 【さむさにむかうと】  (exp) as winter approaches
• 耐寒 【たいかん】  (n) cold-resistant
• 体を寒さに慣らす 【からだをさむさにならす】  (exp) to inure oneself to cold

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字：Beware of ducks bearing gifts?

葱	音読み: ソウ 訓読み: ねぎ 名乗り: n/a Meanings:ｓcallion, leek, green onion Strokes: 12; Skip # 2-3-9

Monday, I wrote about that lovely sucker to see, the duck carrying leeks upon his back (鴨がねぎを背負って来る). Now, there's news in the Taco Bell debacle that indicates those ねぎ aren't such a good gift. According to the company, the green onions thrown into their salads and burritos were infected with E. coli, making them the most dangerous leeks since the

葱成人 appeared in the anime Gantz. Yecch! I already scoop the dang things out of my ramen; think from now on I'll just say

葱せず - without onions.

Compounds and  Definitions

• 葱 【ねぎ】 (n) (1) spring (green) onion (edible plant with tubular leaves, Allium tuberosum); (2) scallion (edible plant, Allium ascalonicum); (P)
• 西洋葱 【せいようねぎ】  (n) (1) leek (edible plant, Allium porrum); (2) chive (edible plant, Allium schoenoprasum)
• 葱鮪 【ねぎま】  (n) (uk) dishes based on spring onions and tuna
• 浅葱 【あさぎ】  (n) light blue
• 萌木色; 萌黄色; 萌葱色 【もえぎいろ】  (n) light green; yellowish-green

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: What the nose knows

鼻	音読み: ビ 訓読み: はな 名乗り: n/a Meanings: nose Strokes: 14 ; Skip # 2-6-8

So, on the way into the Writers' Room today, I smelled something burning. At first it seemed like just leaves, a common suburban smell but not something you're used to in Manhattan, then I caught the bitter tang of plastic. Some ヤロ, some 鼻摘まみ, had set a fire in one of the trashcans at the playground I usually walk past on the way to the subway.

When I saw which can was burning, I realized I'd actually seen the bastage and thought he was just rummaging around. Next time I see him, I'll get my camera phone out, because he's probably the same one who's been setting can fires in the station on a roughly monthly basis. Those really leave some foul-smelling smoke, I'll tell you.

Once we got to the room, Chris and I wolfed some black bean chili from Karen's around the corner. Between the peppers and the fact that we were just warming up from the third cold day of the season, I went through three napkins to take care of the 鼻水. A bit gringofied, but that's still a good sign of good chili.

It occurs to me now that it's been a while since I took a pass at tackling Akutagawa Ryunosuke's short story "The Nose." I invite you to listen to it.

Compounds

• 鼻歌 【はなうた】  (n) humming
• 鼻血 【はなじ(P); はなぢ】  (n) nosebleed
• 鼻っ張り 【はなっぱり】  (n) overconfidence
• 鼻を明かす 【はなをあかす】  (exp) to take advantage of another's misfortune
• 鼻が高い 【はながたかい】  (n) proud (lit.: high nose, or nose in the air--rkmr)
• 象の鼻 【ぞうのはな】  (n) trunk of an elephant
• 酸鼻 【さんび】  (adj-na,n) appalling; awful; extreme pain; deep sorrow
• 耳鼻咽喉専門医 【じびいんこうせんもんい】  (n) ear, nose and throat specialist

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: King of the hill

岡	音読み: コウ 訓読み: おか 名乗り: n/a, but see below Meanings: hill, knoll, mount Strokes: 8; Skip # 3-2-6

やったー! Great article in Monday's NYT about Masi Oka, who plays Hiro Nakamura in Heroes. I couldn't find a bio of Oka Masayori which included the kanji for his name, but odds are that, since he was born in 東京 32 years ago, that his family name is written 岡.

Around our house, Monday night is must-see TV. Actually, it's Tuesday because it takes a while to download Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip from alt.binaries.multimedia, the usenet monstrosity that is all things videorecorded. What can I say? Channel 4 just has no love for our building.

One reason why Oka is so much fun as Hiro, the Times article reveals, is that not only is he really bilingual, but that he does his own translations. And as a professional computer geek (at Industrial Light and Magic, where he remains a freeter even while becoming the year's hottest character actor on television), he's well-enough versed in the "Gross National Cool" to keep his dialogue current and otaku-appropriate. Why, I'll bet he's got all of Densha Otoko!

Compounds

• 岡っ引き 【おかっぴき】  (n) secret policeman (in Edo Japan); detective
• 静岡県 【しずおかけん】  (n) Shizuoka prefecture (Chuubu area)
• 岡惚; 傍惚れ; 岡惚れ 【おかぼれ】  (n,vs) unrequited love; illicit love; secret affections
• 岡焼き; 傍焼き 【おかやき】  (n) jealousy; envy
• 岡目 【おかめ】  (n) onlooker; bystander
• 岡目八目; 傍目八目 【おかめはちもく】 (n) (1) bystander's vantage point; outsider's better grasp of the situation; (exp) (2) onlookers see more of the game than the players do

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: I'm not sleepy! Zzzzz...

眠	音読み: ミン 訓読み: ねむ.る (v), ねむ.い (adj) 名乗り: ね Meanings: sleep;  die;  sleepy Strokes: 10; Skip # 1-5-5

Last night, despite having had less than five hours sleep the night before, I sat down for a little Omaha high-low at the kiddie tables on Full Tilt. Plenty of donkeys were at the table working hard to bust themselves out, so I started off tight and a bit more passive than I usually play. After half an hour of getting absolutely junk hands and doing a lot of folding, I finally picked up a decent pot that sent my stack from -5% to +35%.

I went to the kitchen and said to Chris, "I was getting a little sleepy and thinking about quitting, but I just picked up a nice pot." すこし眠い, "a little sleepy," should be one of those great warning signs like ほろ酔い, "a little drunk." But when you actually are a little sleepy, sometimes you forget that. I thought about cashing out, but I didn't want it to look like I was just doing a hit'n'run on the table. No, I ignored Phil Hellmuth's good advice. Bolstered by my win, I kept playing.

About two orbits later, I was in the big blind with a hand I would normally fold: 5c6c7cQd. Three consecutive suited connectors are sucky to hold because you're holding one of your own outs to a straight flush, and that dangling queen was totally useless.

But it was limped around, and I checked to see a flop of 5s6s4c, giving me top two and a straight wrap. すこし眠り, I bet half the pot and unsurprisingly got three callers. The turn came with the two of clubs. What a dreamy card. I've got an inside straight flush draw. The UTG checks to me, I go half the pot again, and the next player re-raises the pot, prompting the other two players in the hand to fold. すこし眠い, I know he hit his low and utterly fail to notice that the low is a wheel. So when I reraise all in, I'm drawing to three threes in order to take 3/4 of the pot. An 8, 5, 6, or club could get me only half. Damn, the things you recognize after a full night of sleep. The river came with a useless ten, and the other guy got my buyin. A little sleepy became a little broke.

I checked myself into bed, and when Chris came to join me I marvelled at the number of run-on sentences Hemingway stuffed into the first three chapters of A Farewell to Arms. But after eleven pages, I was 昏昏.

Compounds

• 居眠り運転 【いねむりうんてん】  (n) falling asleep at the wheel
• 寝違える 【ねちがえる】  (v1,vi) to sleep in an awkward position and wake with a crick in one's neck
• 眠り込む; 眠りこむ 【ねむりこむ】  (v5m,vi) to fall asleep; to sleep deeply
• 昏昏; 昏々 【こんこん】  (adj-t,adv-to) fast asleep; dead to the world

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: Whaddaya hear, whaddaya know?

聞	音読み: ブン, モン 訓読み: き.く, き.こえる 名乗り: n/a Meanings: hear; ask; listen Strokes: 14; Skip # 3-8-6

Two things will make you wonder about the difference between news and rumor. First, Google News has a top story with 326 newspapers and counting, revealing that Lindsay Lohan, fresh from a week of hanging out with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, has checked herself into a clinic for alcohol abuse. That's infotainment. Second, the kanji for newspaper, 新聞, is made of "new" and "hear." Yes, it could be news, but it sounds a lot like rumor to me.

Then again, I'm from an entire generation who forgot how to tell the difference among news, scandal, and rumor. I dropped out of journalism school during the O.J. Simpson trial. So, if the yellow press here is the red press (赤新聞) in Japan, then it must be true that no matter which side of the globe you're on, "If it bleeds, it leads."

Rumor, however, is 怪聞. The first character means "suspicious." Definitely more fitting for O.J. than "new"

Compounds (no end of 'em!)

• 赤新聞 【あかしんぶん】  (n) scandal sheet; gutter press
• 逸聞 【いつぶん】  (n) something unheard of
• 怪聞 【かいぶん】  (n) strange rumor; scandal
• 寡聞 【かぶん】  (adj-na,n) limited information
  Dakara, Po-ka- wa kabun no gemu.
• 外聞 【がいぶん】  (n) reputation; respectability; honor
• 希代未聞 【きたいみもん】  (n,adj-no) unheard-of; unparalleled
• 競馬新聞 【けいばしんぶん】 (n) racing form; racing (news)paper
• Dick Cheney's favorite:
  盗み聞き 【ぬすみぎき】  (n,vs) eavesdropping; tapping
• 浅学寡聞 【せんがくかぶん】  (n) shallow learning and limited information; ignorant and badly informed
• 見猿聞か猿言わ猿 【みざるきかざるいわざる】  (exp,n) see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil
• And the administration's least favorite:
  探聞 【たんぶん】  (n,vs) inquisitive questioning
• 説き聞かせる 【とききかせる】  (v1,vt) to explain; to reason

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)

今日の漢字: Be wary of flashing big bills

鴨	音読み: オウ 訓読み: かも (あひる) 名乗り: n/a Meanings: duck, wild duck, easy mark Strokes: 16; Skip # 1-5-11

If Jay Greenspan's book Hunting Fish gets translated into Japanese, it will have to be called Hunting Ducks (鴨打ち). Because kamo is the name Japanese mah jong and poker players give to the suckers, saps, and dupes, er, I mean the donors, who sit down at a table where they don't belong and leave a lot of their pocket feathers behind.

Should you ever find yourself in Odaiba and you hear someone say 鴨がねぎを背負って来る 【かもがねぎをしょってくる】, the object of that statement, the duck who just walked in carrying leeks on its back, is about to get stewed. Let it not be you.

Incidentally, the domestic duck (鶩 or 家鴨, both pronounced あひる) doesn't get singled out for such derision. Of course, the domestic duck, Hello Kitty's friend "Ahiru no Pekkle" for instance, can try to get by on cuteness before being thrown into the confit.

Compounds

• 鴨の嘴 （かものはし） (n) platypus
• 鴨居 （かもい） (n) lintel
• 鴨猟 （かもりょう） (n) duck hunting
• 鴨打ち （かもうち） (n) duck hunting
• 鴨がねぎを背負って来る （かもがねぎをしょってくる） (exp) Along comes a sucker just begging to be parted from his money

(Readings and definitions from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.)